Ball projector having clutch and spring means causing a striker head to contact a ball in its path of travel



Aprll 14, 1964 ANDERSEN 3,128,752

BALL PROJECTOR HAVING CLUTCH AND SPRING MEANS CAUSING A STRIKER HEAD TO CONTACT A BALL IN ITS PATH 0F TRAVEL Filed Feb. 5, 1962 IQVELNTOIL Yawn E -o| ANDEK-SEN Arrys.

United States Patent O 3,128,752 BALL PROJECTOR HAVING CLUTCH AND SPRING MEANS CAUSING A STRIKER HEAD T CON- TACT A BALL IN ITS PATH OF TRAVEL Reidar E. Andersen, 30 Onyx St., Kensington, Johannesburg, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa Filed Feb. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 171,017 priority, application Republic of South Africa Feb. 17, 1961 Claims. (Cl. 124-16) This invention relates to a machine for projecting balls which are to be returned in play, for example, a machine for providing a service of tennis balls.

Various machines for projecting balls to a player to be returned by him are known. For example, base balls are pitched to a batter, cricket balls are bowled to a batsman and tennis balls are served to a player.

The objection to such machines is that the service being mechanical, the delivery of the balls follows a certain directional regularity and therefore does not exercise the capacity of the player to meet variations in the service. With other power driven machines, unless the machine is securely anchored, the movement of the parts projecting the balls shake the whole machine to such an extent that its deliveries are liable to become so erratic as finally to be outside the arc of the field of play and the machine must be re-set.

It is the object of this invention to provide a power driven machine to project balls to be played, which machine will avoid the difiiculties above mentioned, and as an example in a description of the invent-ion, the service of tennis balls will be used.

In accordance with this invention a machine for projecting balls comprises a rigid frame housing a rotatable shaft, a swinging spring loaded operating arm pivoted on said shaft, a detent on said arm, a notched disc secured to said shaft, the detent adapted to latch the arm in the notches, a fixed trigger in the path of the detent on said arm, motor means for driving said shaft, a striker head for the arm, a stand for a ball in the path of said head and a gate in a passage way for feeding individual balls to the stand following the backward swing of the arm.

Other features of the invention include two notched discs with the number of notches varied in each, a striker head with a number of striking faces varying in shape, a catch for turning the striker head, a gravity ball feeding passageway and a shock absorber to cushion the end of the forward swing of the striker arm.

A preferred form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows the ball projecting machine in side elevation,

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of FIGS. 3 and 4 are details.

The machine illustrated is particularly suitable for serving tennis balls 11, the base of the machine shown being conveniently mounted on wheels 12.

On the base of the machine is fixed a suitable motor 13. An electric motor is the more suitable but where an electric supply is not available an internal combustion engine may be used. The motor 13- is coupled to a disc 14 fastened to a rotatable horizontally mounted shaft 15. Usually the speed of the drive between the motor 13 and the disc 14 is reduced by a suitable speed reduction gear.

On the shaft 15 carrying the disc 14 is rotatably mounted the bifurcated end 16 of the operating arm 17 straddling the disc.

The end 16 straddles the disc 14 so that the operating arm 17 is freely rotatable through the necessary angle about the shaft 15'.

In the drawing the end 16 on one side is provided Claims the machine, and

with a projection 18 to which is attached a tension spring 19 which is stretched on the backward rotation of the arm 17. In the crotch of the bifurcated end 16' of the arm 17 is a spring con-trolled detent 20.

The disc 14 has notches 21 in its periphery shaped to engage the detent 20' as the disc 14 rotates. When the detent 20 catches in a notch 21 the rotating disc 14 pushes the arm 17 backwardly until the detent 20 meets a trigger 22 fixed in its path and lifts it out of the notch 21 in the disc 14 and the arm 17 swings forwardly under the loading of the tension spring 19 and comes to rest in a substantially vertical position.

As the arm 17 reaches its top or near vertical position it encounters a ball 11 resting in a suitable stand 23 fixed below a gravity feeding spout 24 for the balls 1 1.

e spout 24 is fed by balls 11 from a rack 25 and a gate 26 in the passage way 24 is operated on each backward movement of the arm 17 to release a ball .11 from the spout 24 to rest on the stand 23 in the forward path of the arm 17. After the arm 17 has struck the ball 11 it is no longer tensioned by the spring 19 and at this point the end of the spring 19 slips back into a slot 27 at the end of the projection 18.

The arm 17 has a striker head 28. Said head 28 may be rotatable about the axis of arm 17 on the end of said arm and be provided with a number of faces 29 for striking the ball 11. The ball 11 may be struck squarely with a fiat face 30 and fly from the machine giving a straight strong service. Another face 31 of the head 28 may project the ball at an angle to the left or another face 32 to the right, or again the angle of the face 33 of the club may project the ball 11 straight but upwardly. A pawl 34 fixed to a stand 35 on the backward position of the arm 17 may engage a suitable ratchet wheel 36 on the striker head 28 to rotate it, as and when desired, so that the service of the balls 11 is varied or not as required. When desired, the pawl 34 may be thrown out of the way so that the striker head 28 is not rotated and the balls 11 are repeatedly delivered in a similar manner and direction.

The forward swing of the arm 17 is brought to rest by contact with a suitable stop, conveniently in the form of a shock absorber 37.

The speed of service of the balls 11 may be varied by altering the speed of the motor 13 or adjusting the gears in a gearbox attached to it. In the machine illustrated there is in addition to the disc 14, a second disc 38 mounted concentrically with 14 and slidable on the shaft 15 by a lever 39 operated by a knob 40. The disc 14 has four notches 2 1 equally spaced round its periphery. Slidable disc 38 has two notches 21. When the discs 14 and 38 are together under the detent 20, two of the notches in 14 are masked by the disc 38, but when the disc 38 is moved axially away from under the detent 20 the four slots in disc 14 are operative.

The position of the trigger 22 above mentioned may be made adjustable to vary the backward swing of the arm 17 and therefore the subsequent speed of the projected ball 11.

With the machine described it is only necessary to supply power to the motor 13 and tennis balls 11 to the rack 25 to start the machine serving balls and, if desired, the service of each ball may be varied automatically.

The machine may also be used for pitching baseballs.

For bowling cricket balls a cup may be substituted for the more or less flat striker head on the arm and the balls fed from a position to supply the cup when the arm is in its backward position. With this arrangement the ball will be carried during the swing of the arm and only projected from the machine when the arm makes contact with the shock absorber or other stop.

The ball projecting machine as described may be mounted on at least one pair of wheels to facilitate transport and it should be suitably shrouded as indicated by the dotted line 41 to avoid accidental contact with the swinging arm.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A machine for projecting balls comprising a substantially rigid frame, a shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, a swinging operating arm pivoted to said frame coaxially with said shaft, a detent on said arm, a disc having at least one notch secured to said shaft, the detent adapted to extend into said notch and latch the arm to the disc, a fixed trigger on the frame and in the path of movement of the detent on said arm, motor means drivingly connected to said shaft so as to drive it in one direction, a striker head mounted on the arm, a support for supporting a freely resting ball in the path of movement of said head, resilient means secured between said arm and frame urging said arm to rotate in second direction opposite to said one direction, said motor means adapted to rotate said arm and detent in said one direction toward said trigger when said detent is in said notch whereby said trigger engages and releases said detent from said notch and said resilient means snaps said arm in said second direction so said head may strike a ball on said support, stop means on said frame in the path of movement of said arm, said stop means contacting said arm after said arm has struck said ball and thereby preventing said arm from rotating completely around its pivot axis.

2. A machine as claimed in claim 1 in which the striker head is rotatable about the longitudinal axis of said arm and has a number of striking faces extending at different angles to said arm axis.

3. A machine as claimed in claim 1 including a rack by which balls are fed by gravity to said support in the path of the operatingarm and a gate associated with said support to automatically release a ball on each backward swing of the operating arm.

4. A machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein said stop means comprises a shock absorber connected to said frame to check the forward movement of the operating arm after said' head has struck the ball.

5. A machine as defined in claim 1 including a second disc drivingly connected to but axially slidable on said shaft and having a smaller number of notches therein than said first mentioned disc, operating means connected to said seconddisc for axially moving it into and out of alignment with said detent.

6. A machine as defined in claim 5, wherein a portion of said arm includes a yoke pivotally mounted on said shaft, both said discs extending into said yoke.

7. A machine as defined in claim 1 including means Iotatably'mounting said striker head on the longitudinal axis of said'arm, a ratchet Wheel secured to said head, means mounted on said frame in the path of movement of the ratchet wheel so as to rotate said wheel and head less than a full turn each time said arm is moved in one of said directions, said head being provided with a plurality of ball striking faces on its periphery, each of il said faces being inclined at a different angle to the longitudinal aXis of said arm.

8. A machine for striking and projecting balls through the atmosphere comprising an upright frame having a front and a rear, a generally horizontally extending shaft rotatably mounted in said frame, motor means on said frame drivingly connected to said shaft so as to rotate it continuously in one direction, an arm pivotally mounted on said frame so as to oscillate on an axis coaxial with the axis of said shaft, clutch means drivingly connecting said arm to said shaft, a striker head mounted on said arm in spaced relation to said shaft, a ball support on said frame for supporting a ball in the path of movement of said head, resilient means secured between said arm and frame urging said arm to rotate in another direction opposite to said one direction, a clutch release device mounted on said frame at a fixed location adjacent the path of movement of said clutch means, said clutch release means adapted to contact and operate said clutch means to disconnect said arm from said shaft when said striker head is rearwardly of said ball support whereby said resilient means may move said arm and striker head in said other direction so that said striker head may strike and project a ball forwardly from said ball support, and stop means connected to said frame in the path of movement of said arm, said stop means adapted to contact said arm and prevent it from moving completely around said shaft and beyond said frame.

9. A machine as defined in claim 8, wherein said clutch means includes a wheel fixed coaxially to said shaft, a plurality of notches in the periphery of said wheel, a detent movably mounted on said arm, spring means urging said detent into one of said notches; and said clutch release means including a cam means fixed to said frame in the path of movement of said detent, said cam means adapted to contact said detent and cam it out of said notch.

10. A machine as defined in claim 1, wherein said resilient means comprises an elongated coil spring, an anchor member extending radially from said shaft and fixed to said arm, said radially extending member having a radially extending slot therein, one end of said coil spring slidably mounted in said slot and the other end of said coil spring secured to said frame, said one end of said coil spring being slidable to the radially outer end of said slot to release the tension therein after said ball has been struck.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 593,121 Qurin Nov. 2, 1897 1,331,787 Schlatter Feb. 24, 1920 1,389,692 Pennington et al Sept. 6, 1921 1,427,223 Miller Aug. 29, 1922 2,650,585 Farre Sept. 1, 1953 2,699,337 Best Jan. 11, 1955 2,815,743 Brunderman Dec. 10, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 13,801 Great Britain 1909 165,921 Australia Nov. 7, 1955 

1. A MACHINE FOR PROJECTING BALLS COMPRISING A SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID FRAME, A SHAFT ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID FRAME, A SWINGING OPERATING ARM PIVOTED TO SAID FRAME COAXIALLY WITH SAID SHAFT, A DETENT ON SAID ARM, A DISC HAVING AT LEAST ONE NOTCH SECURED TO SAID SHAFT, THE DETENT ADAPTED TO EXTEND INTO SAID NOTCH AND LATCH THE ARM TO THE DISC, A FIXED TRIGGER ON THE FRAME AND IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF THE DETENT ON SAID ARM, MOTOR MEANS DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO SAID SHAFT SO AS TO DRIVE IT IN ONE DIRECTION, A STRIKER HEAD MOUNTED ON THE ARM, A SUPPORT FOR SUPPORTING A FREELY RESTING BALL IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID HEAD, RESILIENT MEANS SECURED BETWEEN SAID ARM AND FRAME URGING SAID ARM TO ROTATE IN SECOND DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO SAID ONE DIRECTION, SAID MOTOR MEANS ADAPTED TO ROTATE SAID ARM AND DETENT IN SAID ONE DIRECTION TOWARD SAID TRIGGER WHEN SAID DETENT IS IN SAID NOTCH WHEREBY SAID TRIGGER ENGAGES AND RELEASES SAID DETENT FROM SAID NOTCH AND SAID RESILIENT MEANS SNAPS SAID ARM IN SAID SECOND DIRECTION SO SAID HEAD MAY STRIKE A BALL ON SAID SUPPORT, STOP MEANS ON SAID FRAME IN THE PATH OF MOVEMENT OF SAID ARM, SAID STOP MEANS CONTACTING SAID ARM AFTER SAID ARM HAS STRUCK SAID BALL AND THEREBY PREVENTING SAID ARM FROM ROTATING COMPLETELY AROUND ITS PIVOT AXIS. 